Down to This
by Spring-Raindrop
Summary: Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic are growing stronger. Arceus starts to fear for the well being of the other legendaries. He creates a creature with enough power to protect the others. Will she be able to save them? Or will it all be too much?
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold December day and Arceus, the God of all Pokémon, was pacing back and forth. He continuously looked up at the moon, watching as it changed slowly from full to new.

"What's got you all worked up?" came a voice from the shadows. Arceus looked over and saw Giratina, the lord of the reverse world, standing beneath a tall tree. Giratina stepped out from the shadows and went to stand next to Arceus.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Arceus stated, turning away from the ghostly dragon.

"Arceus," Giratina said sternly. I've known you since before the creation of this planet, which, if I may remind you, was millions of years ago. I think I know you well enough to know when you're worried about something."

Arceus bowed his head. "Something's coming. I can feel it. And so can the others." Arceus paused and took a deep breath. "The humans are becoming more and more tainted. Some have gone as far as to try and capture the other legendaries and use them for evil. I can't allow that to continue."

"So what are you going to do?" Giratina asked. "You can't protect them all."

"You're right. I can't." Arceus stopped and lifted his head. "But someone else can."

"Who?"

Arceus closed his eyes and began to glow. All of his plates formed around his body. A breeze rustled around the two legendary dragons. Giratina was shocked. What in the world was Arceus up to?

He stood there silently, watching, as Arceus maintained his focus. Something small and sparkly caught Giratina's attention. A small orb, no bigger than an Oran berry, had just materialized right in front of his feet. Giratina stooped down lower to get a better look at it. It was glowing a deep blue color and looked as if it had a tiny crystal water droplet inside.

"Arceus, wha-what is this?" he gasped, still in awe of its beauty.

More of the tiny globes started to appear until there were 17 total. One for each of the types of Pokémon. The tiny blue orb, for water, that Giratina was watching carefully, suddenly sprung up off the ground. It was closely followed by its counterparts. They all came together and started shining a brilliant white. Giratina had to shield his eyes because of the abundance of light.

When the glow finally faded, Giratina found himself face to face with a human girl. She was suspended in the air and looked like she was peacefully asleep. Her long wavy brown hair was being blown gently back and forth, though there was no longer a breeze. She had a small stature and was wearing a simple white dress that almost touched the ground.

Arceus opened his eyes and walked over towards the girl. He had stopped glowing and the plates had returned to his body. Gently, he touched his face to hers and breathed lightly on her. Slowly, the girl began to stir.

She was set on the ground as she opened her eyes to view the world for the first time.

Giratina was startled by her eyes. They were the brightest color he had ever seen on a human. In the center, right by the pupil, the eye was a bright yellow color. Right outside the yellow ring, green had been mixed in to create a gorgeous pattern, very much like dappled leaves at the beginning of fall, or sunlight at the bottom of a crystal clear lake.

"She's beautiful," Giratina breathed. He was still staring into the girl's eyes. The girl stared back for a while, before turning to Arceus.

"Arceus," she said with a voice that sounded like an angel.

The sound of her voice snapped Giratina out of his trance. "How did she know who you were?" he demanded.

Arceus smiled one of his rare smiles. "I told her. She knows all about Pokémon and this world she has entered, and she knows what her purpose is: protecting those I wish for her to protect. And she has the power in which to do it."

Giratina was speechless. When he recovered his voice, he asked, "Are you sure this is a good idea? She is a human."

"Yes, she is. But I was the one who created her. She will not betray us like the others have.

Giratina wanted to argue more, but stopped himself. He could see how much this human meant to Arceus, and he respected and trusted his creator. Arceus knew what needed to be done. He had to believe that.

"What is her name?"

Arceus turned towards Giratina. "Demi," he responded without hesitation.

Giratina nodded in understanding. The name fit the small girl. He watched silently as Arceus bent down for Demi to climb onto his back. The two of them took off towards the lightening sky in the east. Giratina kept his eye on the girl until she and Arceus were no longer visible.

Yes, Giratina respected Arceus. More than he respected any other creature in existence. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that this human was a bad idea.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Although, I wish I did. :(


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

_Swa. Swablu._

Dozens of heads in Snowpoint city turned skyward as a flock of Swablu and Altaria made their way south for the oncoming winter. Although it was still early autumn, the cold moved into the region quickly and the Pokémon didn't want to be trapped.

Despite the slight chill in the morning air and the possibility of a rainstorm later, Gary Oak, the grandson of the famous Professor Oak, was sitting in the grass on the edge of beautiful Lake Acuity. He had his laptop out, as well as a few glass vials.

Gary had been traveling Sinnoh for a few months now, researching the legendary lake trio: Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie. He was hoping that one of these days he would be lucky enough to see one of them, but so far he hadn't been successful.

CRACK! Gary whirled around as the sound of a stick cracking reached his ears. He stood up and reached for his Pokeballs. Eyes open wide, Gary scanned the trees where he heard the sound coming from. There was no movement, yet Gary was sure he was being watched by something.

"Go Blastoise! Foresight!" he yelled as he released his Pokémon.

"Blastoise!" the large turtle Pokémon roared. His eyes started glowing as he did what his partner told him to do.

Something began glinting in front of him. Gary turned his attention to the shining object as it gradually grew larger. Standing before him was a beautiful girl wearing a long-sleeved white dress that barely brushed the grass. She had long, light brown hair that was partially held up with a small white flowered pin.

"Hello," Gary said politely as he smiled in her direction.

The girl took a step forward. Behind her, Gary could catch a glimpse of a Misdreavus floating alongside her.

"I'm Gary," he said, "Gary Oak. What's your name?"

The girl walked over to him until she stood right in front of him. "Demi." She spoke softly but Gary could still hear the sweetness in her voice.

"Demi. That's a nice name."

Demi smiled, blushing slightly. "Thanks. I like yours too."

Gary chuckled softly. "So what are you doing out here? I don't usually meet many people out here by the lake."

"I was just going for a walk with Misdreavus here and-" she broke off and looked around her. "Oh dear, now where did she scamper off to?"

"Who?" Gary asked as he took a seat next to his laptop. Demi sat down next to him.

"My Arcanine," she explained. "She's very adventurous and sometimes wanders off."

Demi brought her fingers up to her mouth and gave a short, sharp whistle. Moments later an Arcanine came bounding out of the forest with a playful expression on her face.

"Ar-Arc." She barked as she trotted over to Demi and planted a big, wet, slobbery kiss on her cheek.

Demi laughed, her golden green eyes lighting up with happiness. "I love you too girl."

Gary laughed along with Demi. "You've raised your Arcanine very well," he put in. "And I can see that the two of you have been together for a while now. Your bond with her is so strong."

Arcanine looked over at the teenage boy beside her. She gave him a short sniff, decided that he was an acceptable person to be in her presence, and lay down next to Demi.

"We've been together for almost a year now. It seems like so much longer though. She's grown so much from the little Growlithe I met."

Gary smiled, remembering the own bond he shared with his Arcanine. He sure did miss his buddy, but Arcanine was happy at his grandfather's lab.

"So Gary," Demi started, "What are you doing out here all alone? Are you doing some kind of research?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. I'm researching the legendary lake trio at the moment. I've already been to both Lake Valor and Lake Verity, but didn't find what I was looking for, so I came here."

"What are you looking for?" Demi asked, her eyes full with curiosity.

Gary reached up behind his head and tried, unsuccessfully, to flatten the back of his hair. "I'm not too sure exactly. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of one of them. I also wanted to talk to some of the locals. See if they know anything about these mysterious Pokémon. But so far I haven't been able to learn much that I didn't know already."

"And what was that?"

"Well, each of the three, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf reside in one of the three lakes in Sinnoh. Mesprit at Lake verity, Azelf at lake Valor, and Uxie here, at lake Acuity. Each has its own special power too. Mesprit is the being of emotion, Azelf the being of willpower, and Uxie the being of knowledge. That's pretty much all I know though. I went to Canalave City's library about two weeks ago and read some of Sinnoh's legends. Apparently the three carry some kind of curse or something. It was mentioned in one of the books there, but I haven't heard anything about it since. I'm curious as to what the book meant."

Demi shivered slightly. Whether it was from the cold or the mention of a curse, Gary didn't know. The trees had begun to blow slightly as the wind began to pick up a little.

"Are you cold?" Gary asked, concern in his voice.

Demi nodded and smiled gratefully when he pulled off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

"Thank you Gary."

"It's nothing, really."

The two sat in silence for a little while, each wrapped up in their own thoughts, eyes fixed on the lake in front of them.

"So you're a Pokémon researcher?" Demi prompted, turning her attention back to Gary.

Gary nodded. "Yeah. I started researching Pokémon about a year or two ago. I began with fossilized Pokémon, but that topic wasn't very interesting to me. I heard stories of ancient Pokémon here in Sinnoh, so I came to learn as much as I could."

"So you started with the legendary lake trio?"

"Yes."

Demi frowned slightly. "Why though? Why were they so interesting to you? Why not research the more powerful of the Sinnoh myths?"

Gary leaned back and looked up at the sky. "I don't know really. I just got this urge to want to learn more about these mirage Pokémon." Gary then glanced over at Demi. "What do you know of these 'more powerful' myths?" he asked playfully.

Demi smirked. "I know enough." Was her response.

"Enough to hold a discussion over a cup of hot chocolate?" Gary asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Demi giggled and ran her fingers through her hair. "Hmm...hot chocolate huh? Sounds good to me."

Gary laughed. "Awesome. Tomorrow afternoon then? At the Pokemon center?"

"That sounds nice," Demi murmured.

Gary smiled back at her.

"I think we should head back into town and find a place to stay for the night. It looks like there's going to be a storm soon," Demi commented.

Gary nodded and began packing up his laptop and other researching equipment. Once everything was packed securely in his bag, he stood up and recalled his Blastoise, who up until then had been floating calmly in the lake. Gary glanced up at the dark rainclouds overhead.

"I sure hope we make it back before the storm hits."

* * *

Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon, and I doubt that will ever change.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

It was pouring by the time Demi and Gary came in sight of the Pokémon center. Arcanine and Misdreavus had disappeared into their Pokeballs a while back, so it was just the two of them now.

"There it is," Gary said, wiping raindrops from his face. "The Pokémon center."

Demi grabbed his hand and started running in the direction of the center, dragging Gary along with her.

By the time the two entered the doors, they were sopping wet. Demi shivered and released Gary's hand in order to pull his coat tighter around her.

Gary's eyes widened as he saw the sheer number of trainers sitting in the lobby. They were everywhere. If he had to guess, he would probably say about twenty, give or take a few.

Nurse Joy was sitting at the front desk, talking to a very loud blue haired girl. From what Gary could hear, the trainer was upset because she wanted a room to herself and there didn't seem to be any available space.

"It seems as if we aren't going to be able to get a room for you. There are already so many people here escaping the storm. Nurse Joy's swamped." Gary paused and looked at Demi. "You know, you're welcome to stay with me. I have a room to myself at the moment."

"That's alright with me. If it would be a help to Nurse Joy, then I'd be happy to," Demi said, smiling slightly.

Gary took her hand again and started weaving his way through the crowd towards the staircase.

Once they reached his room, Gary opened the door and let Demi enter first.

"You can choose whichever bed you want," he said as he placed his equipment behind the door.

Demi smiled to herself as she surveyed the room. "You're very clean," she remarked as she sat down on the bed further from the door.

Gary sat down on the other bed and started digging through his bag. "As a researcher I have to be. Besides, since I'll be here for a while more, I like to have a place that feels sort of like home to me."

Gary pulled out some clean, fry clothes from his bag and headed to the bathroom to change.

"There are some dry clothes in my dresser if you want to change. In fact," he paused and turned to face her, "You can have the bathroom if you'd like."

"Thanks. Dry clothes sound wonderful at the moment." Demi walked over to the dresser and pulled out a black shirt and a pair of lavender pants.

"Let me know when you're ready for me to come out," she said as she shut the door behind her.

Gary quickly slipped out of his pants and put on a dryer pair. He then took off his shirt and hung both of the wet garments on the head board of the bed. Slipping his shirt on over his messy wet hair, Gary called out, "Ok. I'm ready whenever you are!"

"Be out in a minute!" Demi called back.

Gary took a seat on his bed and waited patiently for Demi to reenter the room. He was anxious to get to know her better. He had a feeling that she knew a lot more about his research topic than she was letting on. Maybe he could learn something from her. And maybe, just maybe, he could somehow find a way to get closer to her.

The door opened and Demi stepped out with her wed dress draped over her arm. She walked over to her bed and, like Gary, hung the dress over the head board.

"So what do we do now?" she asked as she sat on her bed facing Gary.

"I'm not really sure," Gary said, running a hand through his hair. "It would probably be best if we stayed up here for a bit, seeing as Nurse Joy is busy with all of the trainers downstairs."

Demi nodded in agreeance. She brought her knees up to her chest and began to put her hair into one long braid.

"So what are you doing here in Snowpoint city?" Gary asked. "I told you why I was here."

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. I just get this feeling I get sometimes, that I'm needed here for something."

"Have you had that feeling before?" Gary asked.

"Sort of, I mean, I always have some feeling that tells me that tells me that there's something I'm meant to be doing, but this is the first time that it's been this strong."

"Do you think it might have something to do with Uxie?" Gary snapped his mouth shut, but it was too late. The words had already been said.

"What about Uxie?" Demi asked cautiously, like she didn't want to know the answer.

Gary sighed. "About two or three nights ago I was headed out to the lake and I saw some very strange characters. There were three of them and they all had bright blue hair and were wearing shiny silver outfits. They were lurking around the woods by the entrance to the lake. I didn't hear most of what they said, but I could tell that they were planning on coming back again."

Gary paused when he saw a look of worry enter Demi's eyes.

"Hey," he said as he placed his hand on top of hers and looked her straight in the eyes, "Uxie will be fine. There's nothing to worry about."

Demi nodded, but remained silent. In an effort to cheer her up, Gary suggested that they go downstairs and order a snack.

When they got back downstairs, most of the trainers had retreated to their rooms. Gary led the way to the dining area. He took a seat in one of the booths and Demi sat down across from him.

"Where did you get that?" Demi asked suddenly as she reached across the table and brushed her hand over the necklace Gary was wearing.

Gary shivered slightly at her warm touch. "It was my mother's," He said softly.

"Did something happen to her?" Demi asked quietly.

Gary could feel tears in his eyes, but he pushed them away. "Mom and Dad died in a car crash when I was just a little kid. I don't remember them very well, but it's still nice to feel that part of them go with me wherever I go."

"I'm sorry, I know that doesn't help anything, but I still am."

Gary smiled. "It's really alright. You can't really miss something you never had. Not too much anyway."

Demi was about to say something when she was interrupted by an all too familiar voice coming from the front door.

"Gary!"

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I do however own Demi. She's all mine.

Authors Note: Hope you guys are all enjoying reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I do write for the fun of it, but some reviews would be nice. Pretty please :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"Ashy-boy!" Gary exclaimed as he stood up to greet his old rival and longtime friend.

"Hey Gary. I can't believe that you're here too."

"This is so cool!" squealed Dawn.

Gary chuckled and turned to Ash. "You want to sit down with us? We were just about to get some ice cream."

"Ice cream?" Ash's eyes lit up. Dawn and Brock burst out laughing as he practically dove into the booth where Gary had been sitting. Gary sighed and shook his head. Ash could be so childish sometimes.

Demi shifted over some so Gary could take a seat by her. Dawn and Brock sat down next to Ash as the trainer excitedly decided what he wanted.

They were all silent, each looking at the menu when Brock looked up for a second. He looked over at Demi, then seemed to do a double take.

"OH MY GOSH!!!" he shouted. Gary, Dawn, and Ash all looked up to find Brock reaching across the table, Demi's hands in his.

"You must be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my entire life. If you'll take me, I promise to forever love you, to the ends of the earth and ba-AK!!!"

Brock slumped forward on the table as a blue and purple frog-like Pokémon jabbed him in the back.

"Gees, he's only known her for a few minutes and he's already declaring his love for her," Gary said chuckling.

"This is Brock we're talking about," Dawn remarked. "He does this with pretty much every girl he meets."

The four of them laughed as Brock dragged himself up and into the seat.

"So, Gary, how long have you and…" Dawn trailed off, unsure of what Demi's name was.

"Demi. And I just met Gary this morning," Demi answered.

Dawn seemed to relax at this. "OK."

"Hey Gary! I've got 7 gym badges so far," Ash boasted as he practically shoved his badge case under Gary's nose. Gary rolled his eyes. It was just like Ash to brag about how well he was doing, even though the boys had ceased being rivals over a year ago.

"You know Ash," Brock said, picking up on that fact, "Gary isn't your rival anymore."

"Oh, right," Ash said, looking a little embarrassed.

"That's right. He has a new rival now. Paul."

Ash stiffened. "That jerk," He muttered under his breath.

"Speak of the devil, here he comes," Brock noted. Ash and Dawn glanced over to the door as Paul entered. The purple haired trainer shook the water off his umbrella, glanced around the room for a seat, and upon seeing none, angrily stalked over to the group of trainers seated in the dining area.

"What are you doing here Paul?" Ash asked accusingly.

"None of your business," Paul growled as he sat down in the booth next to their.

"Well if you're here to challenge Candice, I already beat you to it." Ash held open his badge case so Paul could see.

Paul snorted. "Pathetic. I already have all eight badges. Figures you would be behind me, with the way you battle."

Ash stood up angrily. "You want to see how I battle? I'll show you!"

"Goodness Ash, calm down," came a voice from behind them. Gary looked up to see none other than May and Drew.

"Yeah Ash. There's no need to get worked up. Besides, you wouldn't be able to have a battle in this weather," Drew put in.

"Drew, May. What are you doing here?" Brock asked.

May and Drew pulled up some chairs and May began to speak. "I met up with Drew about a week ago during a contest. We were out having lunch when we received a letter from Professor Oak, asking us to meet him here in Snowpoint city in a week."

"Funny," Dawn muttered. "Ash Brock and I got the same letter."

"I did too," Paul grumbled.

"Hang on a sec," Gary said, completely confused. "You all received a letter from Gramps saying that he wanted you here in a week?"

"Yes."

"How much do you want to bet that they all received one too?" Brock asked, looking over at Misty, Richie, and Zoey who had just entered the center.

"This is just too weird," May murmured as the three newcomers walked over to greet their friends.

Gary shook his head. "It should be impossible. Gramps is in the Orange Islands now. He's been planning a trip there for months now. There's no way he would have asked you all to meet him here."

* * *

Duh duh duh! Sorry its been so long, I was gone all weekend, no electronics, and it took a while to get back into the swing of things. Who could have possibly sent those letters to the gang? Keep reading to find out! Reviews please! I want to know if anyone is actually enjoying this story. oh...I don't own Pokemon btw. But I'm sure you've all figured this out by now.


End file.
